John Kane helped build industrial Pittsburgh. Then, as a complete unknown, his work was accepted into the 1927 Carnegie International, making him the first self-taught artist to be recognized by the American art establishment. His muse: his adopted city.

For decades, Pittsburgh sculptor Thaddeus Mosley has been circling the wood to find the art within. And this year, a dream of sorts comes true as he joins the ranks of artists he’s always admired as part of the 2018 Carnegie International.

Once a year, curator Ingrid Schaffner delivers a lecture titled What Is Contemporary? She begins with a declaration: “I will never answer this, so come back next year.” Then she wrestles with the ever-evolving answer for the next 90 minutes. When Schaffner was named curator of the 2018 Carnegie International, Carnegie Museum of Art’s signature … Continued